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Radioactive Materials

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Food Chains and Human Nutrition
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Abstract

The passage of radioactive materials through food chains into human diet has received much attention. There are many reasons for this, the most germane being that ingested radioactivity is responsible for most of the internal radiation dose to the body tissues, except the lungs. From the outset the nuclear industry has taken great care to identify the main sources of exposure to radiation and to keep them within acceptable limits based on recommendations of such bodies as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The sensitivity with which small amounts of radioactive materials can be detected has made possible many detailed studies of their behaviour in the environment. The resources devoted to these investigations have been greater than in any other industry, reflecting the fact that the general public, concerned about any form of contamination in foods, has been particularly apprehensive about radioactivity in diet which it associates with cancer and the effects of nuclear bombs.

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© 1980 Applied Science Publishers Ltd

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Bruce, R.S. (1980). Radioactive Materials. In: Blaxter, K. (eds) Food Chains and Human Nutrition. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7336-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7336-0_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-7338-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-7336-0

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